Virginia Tech’s football season begins Monday night, and something has happened this preseason that we aren’t used to. Or, to be more accurate, something has not happened this preseason that we aren’t used to. Hokie fans aren’t spending the month of August talking to each other about how worried they are about the offensive line. For one of the few times since the very early 2000s, the offensive line is expected to be one of the strengths of the team.
The Hokies have a couple of seniors up front who are six years out of high school. A third senior will anchor the right tackle spot, and though Zachariah Hoyt and Silas Dzansi don’t have as much experience, Justin Fuente seems very high on their future.
The Starters
There was a bit of a surprise when the starting offensive line was revealed in yesterday during the release of the initial depth chart.
Because of his performance at left tackle late last season, and his performance at left guard in the spring, we all assumed that D’Andre Plantin would start there this year. In fact, he held down the starting left guard spot all the way through the spring, and was starting there when camp began back on August 5.
What happened between then? He got hurt, according to a message post from one of our insiders, who we’ve come to rely on as a great source of information. With Plantin on the shelf, Vance Vice had to decide who his sixth best lineman was and try to make the pieces fit. Apparently he came to the conclusion that it was Zachariah Hoyt, and that the offense functioned the best with Hoyt at center and Chung at left guard.
That’s not an issue for Chung. He’s played every position along the line for Virginia Tech during his 6-year career. The biggest question surrounds Hoyt, who played in three games last year…blowouts against East Carolina, Old Dominion and North Carolina. Still, Fuente spoke highly of Hoyt on Tech Talk Live on Monday, so I don’t have any reason to believe he isn’t ready.
The bigger question is whether we’ll see any sort of rotation. If D’Andre Plantin is healthy, I consider him to be an extra starter. Will he rotate at either of the guard spots? Could we see both Hoyt and Chung at center during games, with either Plantin or Lecitus Smith filling in at left guard at that time? I believe a rotation on the interior is more likely than a rotation at tackle.
The other question is whether the starting group remains this way, or whether things are shifted around once Plantin gets back to 100%. I don’t have an opinion on that one way or another. It probably depends on how the line performs in its current form.
The Youth
It’s no secret by now that Justin Fuente and Vance Vice like their young talent on the offensive line. Justin Fuente talked about them yet again on Monday night on Tech Talk Live…“They’re just super-talented is what they are. Silas, Darrisaw, and Lecitus Smith are three young guys that are really, really talented. I think if they stay healthy and stay on this path, they will have really productive careers. I’m excited about that part of it. The other guy that we don’t really talk about because he never really speaks is Zachariah Hoyt. He’s really improved. He’s embraced his look…whatever that is…that long beard and that long hair. I’m just telling you that he’s worked his way into giving himself a chance to be a really productive player. But Silas and Christian…hips, feet, and some toughness and work ethic, I think they’ve got a chance to be really good.”
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, and I’ll probably continue to say it: Justin Fuente has never been the type to throw compliments around this freely.That gives Virginia Tech a young core of linemen that looks like this…
C Zachariah Hoyt (6-5, 308, r-So.)
OT Silas Dzansi (6-5, 315, r-Fr.)
OG Lecitus Smith (6-3, 313, r-Fr.)
OT Christian Darrisaw (6-5, 295, Fr.)
I remember interviewing former offensive line coaches Stacy Searels and Jeff Grimes about their players during their tenures during the end of the Beamer Era. Their comments were generally pretty subdued. Basically, it was a whole lot of “well, such and such is working hard” and “we’re glad he’s playing for us” which was really code for “if we manage 120 yards rushing and our quarterback isn’t knocked out of the game we’ll consider it a success, because at least 40% of our offensive line wouldn’t be starting for a competent offense.”
That’s why the comments by Fuente and Vice are so exciting. Having a large number of good, young offensive linemen in the program isn’t something we’re used to. Assuming they aren’t lying to us, which is a safe assumption, and assuming they know what they’re talking about, which is also a safe assumption, we should have a lot to look forward to in the coming years. That doesn’t mean that all of those guys will make an impact this year. They still have to be developed. However, the future looks bright.
We haven’t talked about some of the other young guys. True freshman John Harris has been talked about as a guy who has done a decent job, though I’m sure he’ll still redshirt. The three-man offensive line class that will sign this December has a huge list of Power 5 offers. The rich are about to get richer, and yes, I’m talking about Virginia Tech’s offensive line when I’m saying that. It definitely felt strange to type that sentence.
Not everything will be a joyride this season with so many young guys. Silas Dzansi will start, and Hoyt is starting right now as well, and we could see guys like Smith and Darrisaw play some, because if there was any season to build for the future, this is it. However, for every mistake those young guys make, I bet we see even more plays that remind us that the future is bright along the offensive line.